From today, a three-month warning period will begin: motorists whom mobile device detection cameras detect using their mobile device will receive a written warning.

From February, infringements and demerit points will start being issued.  

Three transportable road safety cameras were introduced on Canberra’s roads in February this year, and a fixed camera on Hindmarsh Drive (near the Monaro Highway overpass) in June.

A second fixed camera will be installed on Gungahlin Drive (near the Barton Highway overpass) by the end of the year.  

Chris Steel, ACT Minister for Transport and City Services, said the warning phase for the new cameras will reinforce the need for motorists to change their behaviour.

“Since we’ve been collecting data, over 39,000 Canberrans have been detected using a mobile device, highlighting the significant road safety issue we are currently facing,” Mr Steel said. 

“That number translates to cameras detecting over 150 people currently breaking the law daily when they get behind the wheel.

“Any time you take your eyes off the road, you are risking your own life and the lives of other road users. Any activity that distracts a driver can result in higher speeds, lane deviations, and delays in reaction time. 

“We are asking motorists to leave their phone alone. Now is the time to change bad habits, put your phone down, and prioritise getting yourself and all road users home safely.”

The cameras will be able to detect:
•    a driver of a vehicle holding a mobile device in their hand at the ear or above the shoulder;
•    a driver of a vehicle holding a mobile device by resting the device between the ear and the driver’s shoulder;
•    a driver holding a mobile device in their hand or hands, including where it is held at chest level or below;
•    a driver touching, but not holding, a mobile device with their hand where the device is not secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle; and 
•    a mobile device that is resting on any part of the body of a driver, whether or not the device is also touched or held (except where the device is in a pocket of the driver’s clothing or in a pouch that is worn by the driver). 

“Driver distraction is one of the fatal five, the leading contributors to fatal collisions on our roads,” Acting Inspector Mark Richardson, Officer in Charge of ACT Road Policing, said.

“Any action that takes a driver’s attention away from the road has the potential to cause tragic consequence.

“In the three seconds it takes someone to read a text message or social media post, a vehicle going 60km/h travels about 50 metres, and can cause irreparable damage to both a driver and other road users.

“ACT Policing continue to do everything we can to reduce road trauma, and support these cameras as part of a wider road safety enforcement.”

ACT Policing is still issuing infringements to drivers they detect illegally using their mobile phone. The warning period only applies to mobile detection cameras.

Throughout the three-month warning period, the government will undertake the third phase of a comprehensive road safety campaign. This will ensure the community is aware that it is illegal to use their mobile device while driving, and will provide substantial warning that infringements will commence from February 2024 for any driver who chooses to break the law. 

“The goal of mobile device detection cameras is to increase road safety by using the latest in road safety technology to deter and detect unsafe driving,” Mr Steel said. 

“The roll out of these detection cameras is part of delivering on the ACT Government’s commitment to ‘Vision Zero’ of no deaths or serious injuries on Canberra’s roads.”

For more information, visit www.act.gov.au/roadsafety.

Neutral bail for dangerous drivers

Another government measure this week is expected to improve road safety.

Yesterday, the ACT Legislative Assembly passed the Bail Amendment Act 2023, which Labor MLA Dr Marisa Paterson introduced in June.

This legislation shifts to a neutral presumption of bail for people charged with culpable driving, driving at police, and for the aggravation of repeated offence of furious, reckless or dangerous driving.

“Serious dangerous driving on our ACT roads has been an issue of widespread community concern for the last couple of years,” Dr Paterson said.

The Bail Amendment Act 2023 shifts these offences to a neutral presumption of bail. It will require courts to scrutinise bail applications for people accused of these offences, and to consider the potential risks to the community.

“This critical reform is based on careful consideration of evidence, a balancing of human rights, and a deep-seated concern for the safety of the community,” Dr Paterson said.

“There is a very select group of offenders in the ACT that drive in a way that pose a serious risk to innocent lives on our roads. ACT Police Operation TORIC (Traffic or Recidivist Investigations Canberra) data show many of these offenders are on bail when they commit these crimes, and many are repeat offenders of these crimes. It is highly appropriate that bail applications for these offenders receive extra scrutiny.”

Operation TORIC, established in August 2022, aims to reduce dangerous driving in Canberra by targeting repeat offenders. Between 1 August 2022 and 1 November 2023, ACT Policing have made 341 apprehensions as part of Operation TORIC, leading to 906 charges. Of those apprehended, 140 (41 per cent) of the alleged offenders were on bail; 46 (13.5 per cent) were subject to good behaviour orders; eight were on intensive corrections orders; and 20 were on parole.

“I speak directly to victims of dangerous driving, those that have lost loved ones, and those that live with lifechanging injuries as a result,” Dr Paterson said. “I will not stop on this issue until we see this type of offending in our community reduced.”